424th Bombardment Squadron
The 424th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 307th Bombardment Wing, based at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 1 January 1962. History Formed as a heavy bombardment group in January 1942, trained in the Pacific Northwest under Second Air Force, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii, November 1942 and performed performing search and rescue and antisubmarine patrols until January 1943 while transitioning to long-range B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. Deployed to the Central Pacific from Hawaii throughout 1943 for long-range combat bombardment operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific; New Guinea; Northern Solomon Islands and Eastern Mandates campaigns. Deployed to the New Hebrides in Melanesia and operated from numerous temporary jungle airfields, engaging in long-range bombardment operations during the Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns until the end of the war in August 1945. Assigned to Clark Field, Philippines after the war ended, demobilized with personnel returning to the United States, unit inactivated as paper unit in January 1946 in California. During the Korean War, Tactical Air Command (TAC) trained aircrews at Langley AFB, Virginia. The three squadrons of the 4400th Combat Crew Training Group performing this mission were Air National Guard units that had been called up for the war. At the start of 1953, these squadrons were released to state control and the 423d Bombardment Squadron took over the mission, personnel, and equipment of the 122d Bombardment Squadron, which returned to the Louisiana guard.See In January 1954, the group mission shifted to tactical bombardment and it was redesignated the 4400th Bombardment Group. As the group began to anticipate the transition to Martin B-57 Canberra aircraft, TAC decided to replace the Table of Distribution 4400th group and its squadrons with the regular 345th Bombardment Group, which took over their mission in July 1954.See Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 225-226 The squadron was activated in 1958 at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska as a result of Strategic Air Command phasing out the B-47 Stratojet, and additional squadrons were activated as part of the consolation of Stratojet wings, and the replacement of the B-47 by B-52 Stratofortresses. The squadron also began sending its aircraft to AMARC at Davis-Monthan in late 1961, and the squadron went non-operational. It was inactivated on 1 January 1962. Lineage * Constituted 35th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942 : Activated on 15 April 1942 : Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942 : Inactivated on 26 December 1945. * Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 15 November 1952 : Activated on 1 January 1953 : Inactivated on 19 July 1954 * Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 11 August 1958 : Activated on 1 September 1958 : Discontinued, and inactivated on 1 January 1962. Assignments * 307th Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 26 December 1945 * 4430th Air Base Wing : Attached to 4400th Combat Crew Training Group, 1 January 1953 * 4400th Combat Crew Training (later Tactical Bombardment) Group, 1 May 1953 – 19 July 1954 * 307th Bombardment Wing, 1 September 1958 – 1 January 1962. Stations * Geiger Field, Washington, 15 April 1942 * Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 26 May 1942 * Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 29 September-20 October 1942 * Dillingham Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 2 November 1942 : Operated from: Henderson Field, Midway Atoll, 22–24 December 1942 : Operated from: Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Gilbert Islands, 20 January-c. 1 February 1943 : Operated from: Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, c. 6 February-c. 18 March 1943 * Koli Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 18 March 1943 : Operated from: Munda Airfield, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 28 January-15 February 1944 * Momote Airfield, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 13 May 1944 * Wakde Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 22 August 1944 : Operated from: Kornasoren (Yebrurro) Airfield, Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, 26 September-c. 8 November 1944 * Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 10 November 1944 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 5 September-7 December 1945 * Camp Stoneman, California, 26 December 1945 * Langley AFB, Virginia, 1 January 1953 – 19 July 1954 * Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, 1 September 1958 – 1 January 1962. Aircraft * B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942 * B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945 * B-26 Invader, 1953–1954 * B-47 Stratojet, 1958-1961. References Notes Bibliography * Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Air Force Historical Studies Office, 1969. ISBN 0-89201-097-5. Category:Military units and formations established in 1940 Category:Military units and formations of the United States in World War II Category:Bombardment squadrons of the United States Air Force Category:Bombardment squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces